Ul's Tears
by piggycat350
Summary: she was ready to return home. post chap 339.


Ul's Tears

A Fairy Tail fanfiction

Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail, or any of its characters.

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She knew where she wanted to be at the very end.

She was back in the old wooden cottage. Their old home. Her home. She stood; staring at the stained wooden doors, the broken glass windows, and could hear the distinct whistling sound the wind made as it blew past. She pulled the thin shawl tighter around her shoulders – ironically feeling cold even though it was supposed to be her very element.

She was a little surprised that the old house was still there. That it had not been torn down, or that no one has moved in since. That it was even still standing.

Time seemed to have slowed down and she wasn't even sure how long she had been standing there. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and the memories came, in bits and flashes.

The unbearable pain when she found two boys who seemed to have taken over her place. The red-hot anger she felt when she saw the woman she called her mother smiling as though her world hadn't just crumbled into pieces.

The sweet taste of revenge when she found her home in Grimoire Heart.

The oddly liberating sense of relief when she was defeated by the very boy she swore revenge on.

The freedom she felt finding her place in Crime Socière.

The rush of adrenaline when she casted the last spell, and the joy knowing that lives would be saved from her one sacrifice.

The crushing despair when she realized her life was only worth but a minute, and the helplessness when the darkness took over.

The sweet relief when she saw that the people she cared for, her family, were _alive. _Stoic and can't-admit-his-feelings Jellal, stubborn and saved-her-life-more-than-once Gray, and Meredy. Sweet little Meredy. Her sister slash foster daughter slash best friend. How her heart ached when she knew she wouldn't be seeing her again, or that the brush of their hands when she handed them her farewell letter was the last contact they would ever make.

And the tears. Oh the tears they shed. The tears she shed.

Just like her name. Like the tears her mother shed for her.

Ul's tears.

Ultear.

She sighed, and her breath crystallized briefly before dissolving in the cold air. How transient. It was there, and then it wasn't. Just like how Life is. How her mother was, and how she would be.

She had an odd dream one day, not long after she had made a stop at the ocean.

_My sweet child. _

_Mother? Is that you?_

_My dear girl, it has been hard on you. You've suffered so much. I'm so sorry. I should've fought harder for you. _

_Mother?_

_I love you, Ultear. So very much._

She woke up crying, tears streaming down her wrinkly cheeks, her heart thumping unnaturally fast and a dull ache resonating in her chest. And she knew then it was time for her to go home.

It wasn't an easy journey either. She had limited resources, and with almost no magic left in her. Add in her aching joints and increasing fatigue, it was a wonder she made it home at all. But she did it, albeit bullying an unsuspecting carriage driver with her wily old lady charms.

The front doors suddenly intimidated her. So she stood there, unsure, and awkward. She had, after all, spent only a few years in the house. She decided to make her way round the back, hobbling, with her walking cane guiding the way. She stopped short when she came sight to sight with the backyard. She moved forwards, her attention caught by a little shrine in a corner. She sank to her knees, wispy grey hair blowing in the wind, her tears that were dropping drying almost instantly on her cheeks.

_For my beloved daughter, Ultear. _

_You were my everything. I love you._

The simple inscription was engraved on the icy gravestone. A shaky hand reached out and brushed the words. She could tell that they were painstakingly, _lovingly_ carved by hand. The gravestone was solid and clean, surrounded by an archway of roses, protected from the elements.

Even after death, her mother's magic lived on in the most beautiful ways.

She lost track of the time she knelt there, sweeping away the silent tears that fell down her face. When she finally got up, her joints creaking in protest, she turned towards the back door, and felt much better about stepping through it. She shuffled forwards, counting the steps.

One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven. Eight. Nine.

The door loomed in front of her, though it looked more friendly this time. She lifted her walking cane and prod the door. It swung open with a noisy whine. Dust swirled in the air from years of disuse. She stepped over the edge and made her way in. She sat herself down in a creaky chair, dust swirling up in the air as she did so, and a small smile tugged at her lips. She whispered, puffs of her breath crystallizing in the air.

She was home.

_Tadaima, mother._

If she concentrated really hard, she could almost hear the unspoken reply.

_Okaerinasai, my dear girl._

Never had she felt so free before.

And yet, never so alone.

X

X

X

X

X

But sometimes, some people have a way of worming into your hearts and decidedly staying put despite all measures you might have taken. As she sat in the creaky old chair, smiling to herself and lost in old memories, a very familiar shout broke through the shell she placed around herself.

"_UL!_"

"_ULTEAR!"_

Her eyes flew open and a wrinkly hand covered her mouth in disbelief. But there was that shout again, louder this time. Through the still open door, she could just make out a pink and a blue blob running her way, though her tears were obscuring her vision by then. A sob caught in her throat and she found herself laughing, caught between two very contradicting feelings.

Maybe, just maybe, she thought as she got up from her chair and moved towards the door.

She wasn't quite as alone as she thought after all.

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notes: inspired by a prompt on OrbitingAribiter's forum [Fairy Tail Novice Writing Challenges]. Though I'm way past the deadline, just felt like writing this up. Thought Ultear should have some closure.

I'll be back on writing NatsuxLucy stories, hopefully soon/winkwink.

Leave a review? Or any thoughts?


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